The committee choosing the next leader of the world’s 77 million Anglicans is facing growing discontent from within the Church amid clams that the long-running process has become a “cloak and dagger” procedure.
Calls are mounting for an overhaul of the system and even growing support for future Archbishops in the Church of England to be elected.
It came as even the ancient Coptic Orthodox Church, based in Egypt- which chooses its spiritual leader in a ceremony involving a blindfolded child ”“ announced not only the date for the selection of its new Pope but even the shortlist.
[blockquote] “The first that the world’s 77 million Anglicans are expected to know…” [/blockquote]
It would be interesting to know what the real (current) number is. The 77 Million figure is 15 years old. Although numbers of Anglicans have been dropping in liberal western countries like USA, Canada and Britain, yet there has been much planting of new churches and conversions in Africa, Asia and South America. So I suspect the real figure is much higher than 77 million.
[blockquote] “The 16-member body, made up of bishops, priests and lay members has been meeting since the summer to “discern†who should lead the Church of England after Dr Williams steps down at the end of the year.” [/blockquote]
And six of whose members are drawn from one diocese (Canterbury) which is largely rural and utterly unrepresentative of most of ubanised England. And no meaningful representation from outside England at all, and total secrecy on who they consider and why. The process is a joke.
Contrast the process used by the Roman Catholic Church to select a new Pope – over one hundred elector cardinals drawn from all over the Roman Catholic world gather in conclave. No-one gets to hear the debates, but every Roman Catholic knows that there is general representation from every part and region of the church.
Or the Copts: an open process to select three suitable candidates, then make the names known to all, and hand the actual selection over to God (the blindfolded child thing). Everyone can see what is happening, and why.
Or most Anglican provinces – call a meeting of the general Synod and elect one of the bishops to take over.
Instead CofE has this news blackout and secret process which will impress nobody.
And it is [b]NOT[/b] serving them well!
I like the Coptic system. The Amish use a similar system to choose among a select number of qualified candidates for Bishop.